he Honey Bee network has been organising ‘shodhyatra’, (a journey of exploration on foot through the villages), twice a year in summer and winter, for the last three years along with innovators and other members of the network. We undertook our fifth 'shodhyatra’ from Kasana village in Sabarkantha district of Gujarat to Koba village in Rajasthan. We have walked for more than 1200 km so far.

We covered a distance of about 135-km in the course of nine days (June 20-28, 2000). The journey included a total of 46 villages, six talukas, four districts and two states. This journey gave us a rare opportunity to meet and interact with several innovative farmers, artisans, and local knowledge experts. We also honoured some of the outstanding knowledge experts right at their doorstep to convey that their knowledge and innovations matter. Such unsung heroes of our society have remained unrecognised for so long. Unless outsiders honour such experts, local persons and other members of society somehow do not seem to acknowledge their expertise. Is it because of too much familiarity?

In Kasana village we met Shri Babubhai Dnanabhai Tral who is believed to be an expert in removing thorns. He has been providing this service for the last 20 years to people from nearby villages. He claims that if a person eats the leaves of ‘angori’ (Balanites roxburghii) then the thorn comes out easily without any pain (a claim which needs to be tested). He adds that he has removed thorns as old as three years by this method. In the same village, 77-year-old ‘pashuvaidya’ (animal healer) Shri Savantsingh Chauhan shared his indigenous methods of treating animals by using various kinds of herbs.

Shri Ratanbhai Shivabhai Patel of Moti Moydi village told us that seventy per cent of the farmers in his village used chemical fertilisers. They have observed an increase in the

chemical fertilisers. To control this, he suggested that they could soak seeds in sour buttermilk and dry these before sowing. Gangaben Somabhai Pandod of Royani village in Meghraj taluka of Gujarat used her indigenous knowledge to store grains, cereals and pulses. She mixed the chaff of gram and wheat to store gram and wheat respectively and to protect these from pests (See Honey Bee 4(1);12,1993: 9(4):3,1998 for use of chaff). She also claimed that the smoke of properly burnt dried fish helped in controlling the leaf curl disease of chilies (See HB 7(1):13,1996, 9(4):17,1998, 10(1): 14,1999 for other methods to control leaf curl disease).

Shri Javabhai Khatubhai Damor (Limdi Timba, Meghraj taluka, Gujarat) shared with us a method of growing chili seedlings. Some grasses and other organic waste matter are burnt in the field where one wants to plant the seedlings. The ground is dug, and the ash is uniformly spread before sowing the seeds. Finally the ground is covered with the leaves of ‘khakhra’ (Butea monosperma) or ‘sag’ (Tectona grandis). Seedlings grow properly within five to seven days. Burning leaves and organic waste is supposed to destroy various pests like termite and weeds.

Shri Sohanlal Tavadiya of Chaja village in Bagidra taluka of Rajasthan gave us various examples of local solutions that he used in his day-to-day life. For instant one could use leaves of neem, oil of castor, ash and gram powder for storing grains. To stop loose motion in children he prescribed ten drops of milk from Banyan tree and five pieces of ‘patasa’ (sugar biscuits). Marching towards the end of our journey we met Durgasankar D Nagar, a teacher in Kanela village of Bagidra taluka of Rajasthan. He narrated one of his experiences of planting mango tree in his farm. Each time he planted them, the seedlings would die due to the attack of white ants. At that time he recalled a person whom he had met some 30 years ago who perhaps had a solution to this problem. He went to him and narrated his problem. The solution he got from his friend was very interesting. One could add the ash of teak leaves and cow dung at the base of the pit and also around the mango tree to prevent attack of termites (See HB 2(1): 15, 1992; 4 (2 & 3): 11, 1993; 7(1): 13, 1996; 8(1): 9, 1997 and